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Global expertise for a dynamic regional market

Source:Ringier Plastics Release Date:2016-04-08 695
Plastics & Rubber
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Covestro has taken on a more active role in the highly dynamic Asia Pacific and China market. Ms. Holly Lei, Senior Vice President at Covestro Polycarbonates, APAC shares her views on market trends and how the company’s products respond to the global challenges

On September 1, 2015, Bayer MaterialScience began to operate under the name  Covestro. The company is now legally independent and on October 6, 2015, Covestro successfully listed in Frankfurt. The directions Covestro is taking is the subject of a recent interview with Ms. Holly Lei, Senior Vice President, Covestro Polycarbonates, APAC who shares with International Plastics News for Asia (IRNA) the company's plans in the Asia Pacific and China (APAC) market.

IRNA: What kind of opportunities and challenges will this change bring to Covestro's polycarbonate business in Asia-Pacific region?

Ms. Lei
: We are excited to be an independent company. We believe this will help us deploy Covestro PCS existing strength even more rapidly, effectively and flexibly in APAC and the global arena. Talking about APAC specifically, it is interesting to see how China has changed dramatically over the past decades bringing new challenges and opportunities for our company.

Asia Pacific and China have grown in importance for our polycarbonates industry and is one of the strongest regions for Covestro. Today’s consumers, particularly those in Asia, have higher expectations; they want unique products: thinner laptops that they can personalize, cars that are lighter and consume less gas—and these preferences require manufacturers and brand owners to come up with fast and targeted solutions. At the same time, price continues to be a defining factor in a buying decision. We are optimistic that as demand for better quality products grows, especially with the increasing call for sustainable and green products, polycarbonate will be increasingly used to substitute existing materials because of its beneficial characteristics.

Holly Lei, Senior Vice President, Covestro Polycarbonates, APAC
Ms. Holly Lei, Senior Vice President, Covestro Polycarbonates, APAC
 

IRNA: For polycarbonate business, Covestro has an extensive R&D and business networks in the world. As Covestro sets sail on the shoulders of giants (Bayer MaterialScience), what measures will Covestro take to enhance its leading position in the Asia-Pacific region?

Ms. Lei: Innovation is what helped us keep our leading position throughout the years, and we believe this is what will help us maintain our lead in the dynamic Asia Pacific region in the future. As you know, the 13TH Five-Year Plan has put innovation clearly on the roadmap for China and we intend to drive innovation in the market i.e. following industry trends and customer needs. Only then can our solutions be relevant to the markets and to people’s real needs. Our network of R&D hubs and supporting centers helps us to realize local customer needs while drawing on global expertise.

For instance, we want to leverage on existing expertise at the Shanghai Polymer R&D Center which we use as innovation hub for Asia Pacific and China’s Color Competence & Design Centers as well as through close collaboration with our R&D Centers in Germany and USA as we strive to become the product and application technology know-how leader in the dynamic APAC market.

IRNA: With the vision to "make the world a brighter place", what are the core considerations for Covestro?  

Ms. Lei: Like Bayer MaterialScience before, Covestro PCS has the vision to empower its customers and unite its employees to be the partner, supplier and employer of choice, across the globe.

Safety, innovation and sustainability are at the heart of Covestro. We want to provide materials that can help the world cope with global challenges such as fast urbanization, energy shortages and climate change; which all calls for sustainable development. In addition, we want to meet our consumers’ expectations - they are no longer satisfied with universal products, they have higher expectations toward products’ uniqueness, they want thinner laptops that have diversified outlook options; they want cars that are lighter and consumes less gas… all these require manufacturers and brand owners come up with fast and targeted solutions.


Coverstro Polycarbonates


IRNA: What are the development trends of polycarbonate products from your point of view?

Ms. Lei: Versatile functions make PC suited to play a wider range of roles. Polycarbonate (PC) resins feature superb transparency, heat and impact resistance, dimensional stability, optical characteristics, and workability. Because of these advantages, demand for PC is growing across a broad range of applications, including electrical/electronic parts, OA equipment, optical disks, and automobile parts.

In the automobile sector, Covestro PC has earned high marks for its transparency and impact and heat resistance, and is used in headlights, dashboards, and various interior trimmings. One larger application in which PC promises to deliver its advantages is glazing, where it is prized for its weight-reducing effect.  

As for optical applications, PC is seeing growing use as a material for LED light covers. Because of the greater brightness and longevity of LED lighting, there is increasing demand for not only PC’s transparency, but also its resistance to flame, heat, and light.

IRNA: How will Covestro polycarbonate business help customers’ sustainable development?

Ms. Lei: The catalyst for Covestro’s success and Bayer beforehand is that we have always aligned our business strategy to address the great societal challenges of our times, such as fast urbanization, energy shortages, resource depletion, aging populations and climate change; which all call for sustainable and long-term solutions.

Covestro believes in an integrated sustainability concept across the value cycle.  We focus on product development activities for sustainable materials including recycled components, post-consumer components and blending partners based on renewable raw materials as well as additives with preferable eco-labeling. It is our aim to reduce the environmental footprint (CO2 emission, raw material consumption, energy consumption) of the material.  

I can give two specific examples that are relevant to China. One is the indestructible and vandal-proof charging station for electrical vehicles. We have designed a vandal-proof, graffiti-proof and indestructible charging station from our materials.  

The second example is with regards to the street lighting system. Traditional lighting systems produce a high amount of lighting pollution. This type of light pollution can be managed by using a polycarbonate lens in the LED lighting system to direct the light exactly on the street or object where it is required.

Covestro Polycarbonates

IRNA: What is your assessment on the China and the rest of Asia as far as demand for polycarbonates is concerned?

Ms. Lei:  China accounts for the big portion of polycarbonate demand as the main market fuelling global demand due to the exponential growth of China’s domestic automotive, rail, consumer appliance and electronics industries.

Besides China, there are also a lot of opportunities in the ASEAN region. We already have a good foothold there with a large-scale production base at Map Ta Phut, Thailand, and a high-tech R&D center in Singapore. Thailand is, however, not only a production hub for BMS, it is also regional hub for the automotive as well as certain segments of the IT industry. It thus presents also a highly attractive market for us.

In a nutshell, I believe that the new growth pace of China combined with a rising demand for consumer, auto, IT and electronic products will continue to bring ample growth opportunities. However, chemical companies like ours need to adapt their business strategies to address the great societal challenges of our times, such as fast urbanization, energy shortages, resource depletion, aging populations and climate change; which all call for sustainable and long-term solutions.

 


Website: www.covestro.com
CHINAPLAS booth: N1E41 & A1

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